Each Character will age 30 years over the course of the play.
The age listed below is the starting age of the character

ROLE Description

RUTHIE Starts late 40s – early 50s – a strong willed woman who loves her family but has trouble showing that loves. Wants the best for her children but doesn’t express herself in the best light. Firm believer in family-values and traditions. The true Matriarch of her Catholic family.

BILL Starts late 40s – early 50s – a kind and easy-going husband and father. Is proud of all his children and loves Ruthie with all his being. Bill is the peace-keeper but is by no means “rail-roaded” by Ruthie.

RICHARD Starts mid 20s – late 20s – The eldest of the children. Ex-Football Star still trying to find himself. Looking for get rich quick opportunities and easily caught up in the newest fades. Eventually becomes the dependable son.

MADDIE Starts mid 20s – late 20s – The middle child and only daughter. Maddie is an actress and a lesbian. She and Ruthie know how to push each other’s’ buttons…and often do. Maddie is closest to her Father and younger brother. By the final act, she comes to terms with her relationship with Ruthie.

THOMAS Starts early 20s – mid 20s – The youngest child; often referred to as “the good son.” Thomas is going to a priest and this thrills Ruthie completely. Thomas, like his father, is a peace-keeper. Eventually, Thomas will leave the priesthood to marry and become a Father of his own. Thomas loves his siblings and is the “go-to person” for both of them

Auditions will be by cold-readings from the script. No appointment necessary. Headshot and resume are extremely helpful, but not a requirement to audition.

Making God Laugh follows one typical American family over the course of thirty years' worth of holidays. Starting in 1980, Ruthie and Bill's grown children -- a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former football star -- all return home, where we learn of their plans and dreams as they embark on their adult lives. The empty-nester parents contend with their own changes, too, as old family rituals are trotted out and ancient tensions flare up. As time passes, the family discovers that, despite what we may have in mind, we often arrive at unexpected destinations.

As Woody Allen once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans..."